1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fluid testing and evaluating apparatus for evaluating mixtures of fluids, usually liquids, under static conditions.
2. Description of Related Art
The stopped flow method, particularly as applied to spectroscopy, is the most commonly used technique for observation and characterization of intermediates involved in chemical reactions. This method involves the mixing of two or more chemical reagents together within 1 or 2 milliseconds (msec) and placing them into a suitable observation chamber, where measurement may be made until the reaction is complete. The total range in time can be seconds, minutes, or hours as required.
A number of mixers for use with stopped flow spectroscopy appear in the U.S. Patent records. U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,136 describes a ball mixer in which two chemical reactants are directed to the surface of a hemisphere where they are mixed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,388 describes a mixing element provided with annular grooves and axially extending passages interconnecting the annular grooves. U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,420 describes a mixer in which mixing occurs in two counterrotating vortexes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,101 describes a mixing chamber which two legs of a bifurcated bore meet in a meeting point which constitutes a first mixing point. A second mixing point occurs in a short bore extending to a light point bore. This involves two t-type mixers.
The present invention has properties not found in the prior art; it mixes thoroughly (greater than 99%) in less than 1 msec, it mixes reactants in a volumetric ratio up to 40:1, and it mixes reactants of widely different viscosities, up to a ratio of 100:1.